The answer is simple: Don't!

Of all the amateur-builders I met, I can not remember anybody who had a clear convincing case for actually building the thing in the first place.

The 2 most often cited reasons why somebody would defend his crazy idea of absolutely wanting to build his own boat are

• Money, and all the cash he will save and the giant profits when he will sell the thing
• Quality and seaworthiness, because all the others and the professional builders and/or designers just don't know what the perfect boat should look like.

So here is what I think of these arguments, well, at least in my more lucid moments...:

The money argument

This is the one that makes the least sense to me.

• If building the boat is because you want to OWN a boat, buy one second hand. You will find a similar size and type for the same budget and you don't waste your years. Since the advent of glass fiber the damned things just won't go away like old cars, and the second hand market - for all materials - has become definitely a buyer's market.
  If you do it because you want to SAIL a boat, as most do, during their holidays, then charter every free long weekend and holidays when and where and what you want. The day at sea will cost you MUCH less than if you buy or build a boat.
• If you want to MOVE ABOARD AND GO because you read Slocum/Moitessier/ Hiscock/whatever..., sell your house now, look for a second hand Spray/Josua, Wanderer/whatever and drink coconuts in a few months
  If for any of the above you do not have the money, don't do it or start saving.
• The worst argument concerning money is the creation of financial value. Do not forget that your finished boat will be for sale in the small ads. It will be a second hand boat even before you put it in the water, with a big red sticker "amateur" on it.

Most of the boats I have seen had a small-ads market value, that was well below the price of similar second-hand production yachts, they we slow to sell, and - if lucky - covered original material costs and not working hours.

Of course there are always exceptions, but that's why they call them exceptions ;-)

If you want really to try make money building boats, get together with other amateur-friends and start a small yard and start building boats for other peoples money. Tough going, but I have seen that done, even with some success in France.

You want to make money with your cash from selling the house? Open a hot-dog stand and pay somebody else to flip the burgers and go and charter a small boat in Greece.

You want to make money with your Time? You really think that you have the skills to earn a better living as a welder than whatever you are doing now? Invest in personal promotion, go and study a new profession or spend the next five years weekends and holidays looking for a rich divorcee - a good place to start is skippered charter cruises ;-)

Can you afford it? No.

Is it worth it financially? No.

Anyway, how much will it cost? The answer is: all you have, and then some. I have never seen anybody (except the really rich...) buying or building a smaller boat than what they could get for all the cash that they could scrape together right away, plus usually what they thought they might be able to get in the distant future.

PLEASE do not start to build a boat for the money!

There is one way though to build yourself because of the money: If you have absolutely no cash, and nothing to come in the near future, you might just start anyway...

Don't get me wrong: I do certainly not advise you to start a project like that without knowing in advance how you will finance it. But I have to say that I know of a few projects that were started just like that, without a penny, and brought to good end.

You would be surprised how businesslike amateur builders can manage to run their life, how motivated they become to better their life ashore, to find the money and how concentrated and focused they can become.

So, you mean that's you, a pauper with no future, no education, no rich uncle and no interest in life anyway? Start building a 16m boat, that'll teach you how to get rich fast and teach you other valuable lessons along the way!!

The design/quality argument

This one is going to get me flamed a lot, I am afraid, but:

Amateur construction is called amateur because it is done by amateurs... So if somebody tells you that he can do a better build boat than what a good professional can do, it's just plain nonsense.

Serious one-off yards employ skilled, experienced labor, they have tradition and workmanship on their side and you just can't beat that.

In industrial Yacht production on the other hand, quality is assured by testing, reduction of human error through industrial methods and last but not least the requirements of the market. Many bigger yacht built today are built to the specifications of the big charter companies, and these guys have a very clear idea of what is good and will survive in year-round usage by more or less qualified customers - I really believe that most of these boats are much better than their reputation.

Of course the amateur can choose to improve on many things but I have no doubt that any boat, professionally custom built by a good yard to a good design, is superior to whatever any true amateur can deliver.

The amateur usually is without deeper knowledge in all areas of design and construction, meaning that even in a very securely designed and carefully built boat there may be a tiny flaw caused by lack of technical knowledge that will end up being the weakest link years later and destroy the boat.

I have seen rudders come off in a force 3 because ridiculous dimensioning, a keel broken out after many hours pounding on an on-shore windy beach because it was not welded to the floors but only to the outside hull etc., and in spite of warning by other amateurs, because the guys "knew better". Sure, even America Cup keels fall off while sailing ;-) but I really would not expect that from a 14 m Standard Beneteau or on a custom boat build by META or another good yard.

Although I really think that a proven design build with a lot of love and - more important - common sense by an amateur is probably a lot stronger and seaworthy than the guy who will later sail on it, just like any professionally build boat. But I do not believe that the amateur in general will deliver better overall quality than the professional.

Also: Amateurs will easier arrive at a professional quality in terms of technical resistance and seaworthiness than in terms of finish and looks. I have seen rare boats that look better finished, with nicer woodworks and styling than professionally built boats, but they represent only a very small percentage of the amateurs. If you want to build a boat that will really look better than what you saw at last years boat-show, prepare yourself to double and triple your building time - repeating with hand tools and elbow grease what they do industrially takes a very long time for an amateur.

As for Quality by design and therefore only possible in one-off amateur construction, this is not valid as there is always the possibility to have it built by a good yard, or, if that is to expensive, find an already built second hand boat of the same or similar design.

Yo disagree? Well then...

• If you love classical music, why don't you buy a violin and go out to give some concerts? Could it be because you miss 20 years of practice?
• If you bought your car from a dealer - why did you not build your own? Although, come to think of it.... ;-)

So, don't expect to do automatically better, stronger and more beautiful in all points than any professionally built yacht just because youa re an enlightened amateur.

Rather, define your own targets and values and built a boat to fit them. It will pay you back with tons of good vibrations because it is unique and because you built it this way, not because of any comparison you or others might make with other boats

The ONLY valid argument to build your own boat is this:

The only reason you should build a boat yourself is that you absolutely want to BUILD it, and that you want  this very particular and personal boat.

You may give yourself and your family all sorts of reasons and justifications (choose above or invent new ones) but you should be perfectly clear with your conscience that you want to BUILD THIS ONE, because that's the only thing you will be drinking, eating, paying for through the nose and sleeping with for a very long time.

Don't feel bad or ashamed about it. Wanting to build a boat comes as natural as alcoholism or chronic indigestion.

Stand up, say "Hi, I am Andy, and I am an amateur boat builder."

We will all clap our hands, smile at you and say "Hi, Andy."